Press release from 79th Cabinet session

Podgorica, Montenegro (31May 2018) -- At today’s session, the Montenegrin Cabinet passed the Draft Law Amending the Law on Judicial Council and Judges, which provides for that the president and members of the Judicial Council will continue to perform their duties until the new composition of the Judicial Council is proclaimed.

This would establish a protective mechanism in a situation in which, after the expiry of the mandate of the Judicial Council, a new composition of that body is not elected.

In drafting this decision, the Government was guided by the principle that the right to a fair and public trial before an independent and impartial court established by law within a reasonable time is one of the fundamental civil rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of Montenegro and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms , that this is conditional for the exercise of almost all other rights and freedoms and as such it must not be questioned, nor can it be limited, even temporarily in extraordinary circumstances as required by the Constitution of Montenegro.

The draft law is in line with the standards laid down in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms concerning the duration of the mandate of the judges of the European Court of Human Rights, as it stipulates that judges of this court remain in office after the expiration of their term until they are replaced. The basis for the proposed legal solution is also the systemic interpretation of the Constitution of Montenegro, which defines the principle of the separation of powers, which would be jeopardised by the failure of functioning of a branch of government - the judiciary, as well as the interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, which stipulates that the government to which the mandate is terminated continues to work until the new one gets voted in.

The proposed amendments also improve the procedure for the election of members of the Judicial Council from among the distinguished lawyers elected by the Parliament of Montenegro. In that regard, the draft law provides for the provisions related to the proposal for the election of a member of the Judicial Council which is submitted to the Parliament by a competent working body, in such a way that the simultaneous selection of all four members of the Judicial Council from among the distinguished legal professionals is no longer of a determining importance for the selection of members for which there is a necessary parliamentary majority.

The discussion concluded with the conclusion that the adoption of this law will contribute to the smooth functioning of the judicial branch of government and protection of the independence and autonomy of the courts and judges, which is within the competence of the Judicial Council, in accordance with the Constitution of Montenegro.

The discussion concluded that the passing of the draft law will contribute to the smooth functioning of the judicial branch of government and protection of the independence and autonomy of the courts and judges, which is within the competence of the Judicial Council, in line with the Constitution of Montenegro.

Government approved the Technical Agreement on the implementation and support for the host country during the "Adriatic Strike 2018 " exercise. Defence and Security Council’s decision on the participation of members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro in international exercises in 2018 of 26 January 2018 approved the participation of 12 members of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Montenegro in the exercise, which will take place from 4 - 8 June 2018 in Slovenia. The discussion emphasised that the participation of the Montenegrin soldiers in the international exercise strengthens cooperation and trust with partner countries, raises the level of training, increases the exchange of experience and improves the adoption of the necessary NATO standards and procedures, as a necessary condition for increasing operational capabilities and interoperability. Participation in this exercise will also contribute to more efficient preparations and high-quality training for the conduct of military operations.

The exercise is a continuation of a series of exercises that were carried out in the previous period, where representatives of the Armed Forces of Montenegro participated for the first time in 2015.

In order to rationalise the diplomatic network and costs on this basis, the Government passed the Decision on the closing of the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva. The discussion noted that after the completed Trade Policy Review in the WTO and the evaluation that it is important that multilateral organisations in Geneva are monitored from one address, the Decision stipulates that the functioning of the permanent mission at the WTO is carried out under the auspices of the Permanent Missions of Montenegro to the UN. Given that strengthening of economic diplomacy is one of the strategic priorities of the Government, the focused activities of the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva will influence the further stimulation of economic multilateral cooperation and better implementation of coordinated diplomatic activities of Montenegro.

The Government gave its approval to the Programme of Work of the National Tourist Organisation of Montenegro for 2018 and The Financial Plan of the National Tourist Organisation of Montenegro for 2018. The programme of work includes a series of activities that the National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro plans to carry out in 2018. The programme of work is based on the analysis of the achieved results in 2017, conditions on the emission markets, available accommodation capacities, the available funds in the Budget and current trends in the world economy and tourism.

Financial plan for 2018 projects the total amount of revenues at EUR 2,872,199.40, of which EUR 2,009,524.10 (69.96%) is allocated from the Budget, and EUR 862,675.30 (30.04%) represent projected own funds and other sources of income. The amount of budget funds is higher by EUR 500,000 (39.8%) compared to 2017, which is intended to support marketing activities in priority emitting markets, improve air traffic and promote incentive measures.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO